The Freemason's Chronicle, May 23, 1885: Page 5

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Obituary.

Obituary .

' . V . THE LATE BRO . SIR W . W . WYNN , BART ., M . P . IT is difficult to understand how * it is that the death of one man should cause such an extraordinary display of emotion as was "witnessed in North Wales last week , except upon the supposition that Sir Watkin Williams

Wynn , the object of the people ' s mourning , really reigned in their hearts . His birth was the signal for an outburst of enthusiasm , his marriage created great excitement , ancl his death is mourned as if a father in Israel had

departed . In his life Sir Watkin displayed all the qualities of a prince , and although a strictly party man in politics , his generosity was never bounded by the narrowness of parties or of creeds . The representatives of the two

political bodies vied with each other m bearing testimony to our deceased brother's excellent qualities , the Liberal organ just showing its party teeth , but not sufficiently to spoil the praise it was impelled to bestow . We are told

by the Shropshire Post , the organ of the party to which Sir Watkin belonged , that it " would require the compendium of an extraordinary catalogue of kind and beneficent acts

. . . to show tho good that had been brought abont with his co-operation and at his instigation . " " Within the family circle Sir Watkin was regarded with the love and affection of all ; outside he was looked upon as a

public benefactor , and such he was . Pew people in North

Wales escaped the reach of his beneficence . His tenantry knew and appreciated his word as a landlord ; the rich appreciated his genial presence and sound sense ; the poor appreciated his kind-hearted and liberal generosity . " All

the circumstances bear witness to the truth of this picture . Mansion and cottage , church aud chapel , in singular unanimity , felt the blow when Sir Watkin died . Those who know how extreme and bitter are the political

dissenters of Wales , will estimate their testimony as to the

worth of the deceased . Their better nature was touched , and with all the generosity and pride of the native Cymri , they yielded full and unstinted praise . If anything were wanted to show the depth of feeling that had been aroused

it was shown at the funeral , which took place at Llangedwyn on Friday last . As early as five o ' clock in the morning two thousand people assembled in Wynnstay Park , and the number was considerably increased by six

o ' clock , when the hearse was sent on its journey through the long avenue of stately trees , the branches and leaves of which formed a grand canopy . The sides of the road were lined with members of the Volunteer Batt . Royal

Welsh Fusiliers , and by people of all classes . Throughout the whole route there was the same manifestation of interest and mourning . The hearse was literally covered with beautiful wreaths , and among those who contributed these

emblems of respect and immortality were the Lodges Fitzalan , 1432 , Oswestry , and Square and Compasses , 1336 , Wrexham . There was a very large gathering of

the brethren at tho funeral to pay a tribute of respect to their deceased Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Wales and Shropshire , among whom were Bros . Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart , D . P . G . C .,

Jones 1584 , H . A . Steer 1674 . Each Mason carried a sprig of acacia , which he dropped on the grave as he passed . The scene at the little church and at the grave was most

solemn and affecting . Mixed with the relatives of the deceased were peers and peasants , members of the House of Commons and ministers of many faiths . No fewer than a hundred vehicles found their way to Llangedwyn on the

Obituary.

occasion of the funeral , and certainly the present generation have never witnessed such a sight as they saw in the village on Friday last . The occasion was a sa . d one , but the

experience was a grand and noble one . The best side of human nature was presented ; the simple faith of the people found exemplification in the breasts of the highest , and all combined to pay tribute to honest worth . Wynnstay has had some rather remarkable inhabitants , of whom we do not desire to speak until we come to the

time when the present family became its masters . The direct ancestors of the deceased ' s family bore the name of Williams , and the father of the first baronet of thafc name

was Canon of Bangor . His son was a barrister , and while on his Welsh circuit is said to have danced with the daughter of Walter Kyffin , Esq ., of Glasgoed , Llansilin , whose heart he captivated , and to whose hand he aspired .

When he approached the father of the maiden he asked his would-be son-in-law , " What have you ? " The ready

reply was , " I have , sir , a tongue and a gown . " Williams got his bride , and prospered amazingly . He was Speaker in the House of Commons in the time of

Charles IL , and Solicitor General under James II ., when

he was made a knight , and afterwards a baronet . While Speaker he incurred a heavy money fine for performing what was little more than an executive act , and as one of the leading counsel for the King against the Seven

Bishops , he incurred no little public odium . Sir Thomas Powys was Attorney General , but the brunt of the great forensic fight rested on the shoulders of Sir William Williams , who displayed some fine qualities of mind , and a good deal of temper . The second Sir William married into the Wynn family of Gwydyr , of ancient and kingly

descent , and his son became the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn , of Wynnstay . This baronet was the type of his successor . Smollett said he was " brave , open , and hospitable , " and his career proved it . The second Sir

Watkin married a daughter of the Duke of Beaufort , but early become a widower . When he came of age a banquet took place in Wynnstay Park , at which were 15 , 000 guests . " Three coaches full of cooks were sent from

London for the occasion , says the Annual Uegis / er Sir Watkin married a second time , the daughter of the Right Hon . George Grenville , Prime Minister , ancl his subsequent life was devoted to the encouragement of art ,

music , and the drama . He was fond of masquerades , and on one occasion Lelie says , " The jolly Sir Watkin produced great effect at a masquerade in the Pantheon , by riding in as St . David , mounted on a Welsh goat . " It is

said that he " established a Freemasons' Lodge at Wynnstay , and some of the furniture then used in it is now possessed by St . Oswald's Lodge of Odd Fellows , Oswestry . " This "Jolly Sir Watkin , " died in 1789 at the early age

of forty-one , much beloved . The third Sir Watkin " doted on the military . " He founded a regiment of yeomen , called the " Ancient British Fencibles , " who did good service in quelling the rebellion iu Ireland . They were called '' Sir

VVatkin ' s Lambs" and "Bloody Britons , " and when the strains of the Welsh air , " Sir VVatkin's Delight , " caught the Irish car it roused them to fury . This baronet encouraged the Lancastrian method of teaching , and gave a

building at Wexham " sufficiently large enough to educate 500 poor children .... besides subscribing very handsomely towards the support of the Institutions . " In 1814 he equipped another regiment for foreign service , bufc was

In 1817 Sir Watkin married Lady Henrietta Olive , who became the mother of the late baronet . His father died in 1840 , when a demonstration similar to that of Friday week took place , The late Bro . Sir W . W . Wynn's successor is

his nephew , who is only twenty-four years of age . He is said to have " a very genial disposition , " aud to have " won the hearts of all with whom he has come in contact . " He has a rich inheritance , and richer than thafc the record of the good deeds of his noble-hearted predecessor .

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Obituary.

Obituary .

' . V . THE LATE BRO . SIR W . W . WYNN , BART ., M . P . IT is difficult to understand how * it is that the death of one man should cause such an extraordinary display of emotion as was "witnessed in North Wales last week , except upon the supposition that Sir Watkin Williams

Wynn , the object of the people ' s mourning , really reigned in their hearts . His birth was the signal for an outburst of enthusiasm , his marriage created great excitement , ancl his death is mourned as if a father in Israel had

departed . In his life Sir Watkin displayed all the qualities of a prince , and although a strictly party man in politics , his generosity was never bounded by the narrowness of parties or of creeds . The representatives of the two

political bodies vied with each other m bearing testimony to our deceased brother's excellent qualities , the Liberal organ just showing its party teeth , but not sufficiently to spoil the praise it was impelled to bestow . We are told

by the Shropshire Post , the organ of the party to which Sir Watkin belonged , that it " would require the compendium of an extraordinary catalogue of kind and beneficent acts

. . . to show tho good that had been brought abont with his co-operation and at his instigation . " " Within the family circle Sir Watkin was regarded with the love and affection of all ; outside he was looked upon as a

public benefactor , and such he was . Pew people in North

Wales escaped the reach of his beneficence . His tenantry knew and appreciated his word as a landlord ; the rich appreciated his genial presence and sound sense ; the poor appreciated his kind-hearted and liberal generosity . " All

the circumstances bear witness to the truth of this picture . Mansion and cottage , church aud chapel , in singular unanimity , felt the blow when Sir Watkin died . Those who know how extreme and bitter are the political

dissenters of Wales , will estimate their testimony as to the

worth of the deceased . Their better nature was touched , and with all the generosity and pride of the native Cymri , they yielded full and unstinted praise . If anything were wanted to show the depth of feeling that had been aroused

it was shown at the funeral , which took place at Llangedwyn on Friday last . As early as five o ' clock in the morning two thousand people assembled in Wynnstay Park , and the number was considerably increased by six

o ' clock , when the hearse was sent on its journey through the long avenue of stately trees , the branches and leaves of which formed a grand canopy . The sides of the road were lined with members of the Volunteer Batt . Royal

Welsh Fusiliers , and by people of all classes . Throughout the whole route there was the same manifestation of interest and mourning . The hearse was literally covered with beautiful wreaths , and among those who contributed these

emblems of respect and immortality were the Lodges Fitzalan , 1432 , Oswestry , and Square and Compasses , 1336 , Wrexham . There was a very large gathering of

the brethren at tho funeral to pay a tribute of respect to their deceased Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of North Wales and Shropshire , among whom were Bros . Sir Offley Wakeman , Bart , D . P . G . C .,

Jones 1584 , H . A . Steer 1674 . Each Mason carried a sprig of acacia , which he dropped on the grave as he passed . The scene at the little church and at the grave was most

solemn and affecting . Mixed with the relatives of the deceased were peers and peasants , members of the House of Commons and ministers of many faiths . No fewer than a hundred vehicles found their way to Llangedwyn on the

Obituary.

occasion of the funeral , and certainly the present generation have never witnessed such a sight as they saw in the village on Friday last . The occasion was a sa . d one , but the

experience was a grand and noble one . The best side of human nature was presented ; the simple faith of the people found exemplification in the breasts of the highest , and all combined to pay tribute to honest worth . Wynnstay has had some rather remarkable inhabitants , of whom we do not desire to speak until we come to the

time when the present family became its masters . The direct ancestors of the deceased ' s family bore the name of Williams , and the father of the first baronet of thafc name

was Canon of Bangor . His son was a barrister , and while on his Welsh circuit is said to have danced with the daughter of Walter Kyffin , Esq ., of Glasgoed , Llansilin , whose heart he captivated , and to whose hand he aspired .

When he approached the father of the maiden he asked his would-be son-in-law , " What have you ? " The ready

reply was , " I have , sir , a tongue and a gown . " Williams got his bride , and prospered amazingly . He was Speaker in the House of Commons in the time of

Charles IL , and Solicitor General under James II ., when

he was made a knight , and afterwards a baronet . While Speaker he incurred a heavy money fine for performing what was little more than an executive act , and as one of the leading counsel for the King against the Seven

Bishops , he incurred no little public odium . Sir Thomas Powys was Attorney General , but the brunt of the great forensic fight rested on the shoulders of Sir William Williams , who displayed some fine qualities of mind , and a good deal of temper . The second Sir William married into the Wynn family of Gwydyr , of ancient and kingly

descent , and his son became the first Sir Watkin Williams Wynn , of Wynnstay . This baronet was the type of his successor . Smollett said he was " brave , open , and hospitable , " and his career proved it . The second Sir

Watkin married a daughter of the Duke of Beaufort , but early become a widower . When he came of age a banquet took place in Wynnstay Park , at which were 15 , 000 guests . " Three coaches full of cooks were sent from

London for the occasion , says the Annual Uegis / er Sir Watkin married a second time , the daughter of the Right Hon . George Grenville , Prime Minister , ancl his subsequent life was devoted to the encouragement of art ,

music , and the drama . He was fond of masquerades , and on one occasion Lelie says , " The jolly Sir Watkin produced great effect at a masquerade in the Pantheon , by riding in as St . David , mounted on a Welsh goat . " It is

said that he " established a Freemasons' Lodge at Wynnstay , and some of the furniture then used in it is now possessed by St . Oswald's Lodge of Odd Fellows , Oswestry . " This "Jolly Sir Watkin , " died in 1789 at the early age

of forty-one , much beloved . The third Sir Watkin " doted on the military . " He founded a regiment of yeomen , called the " Ancient British Fencibles , " who did good service in quelling the rebellion iu Ireland . They were called '' Sir

VVatkin ' s Lambs" and "Bloody Britons , " and when the strains of the Welsh air , " Sir VVatkin's Delight , " caught the Irish car it roused them to fury . This baronet encouraged the Lancastrian method of teaching , and gave a

building at Wexham " sufficiently large enough to educate 500 poor children .... besides subscribing very handsomely towards the support of the Institutions . " In 1814 he equipped another regiment for foreign service , bufc was

In 1817 Sir Watkin married Lady Henrietta Olive , who became the mother of the late baronet . His father died in 1840 , when a demonstration similar to that of Friday week took place , The late Bro . Sir W . W . Wynn's successor is

his nephew , who is only twenty-four years of age . He is said to have " a very genial disposition , " aud to have " won the hearts of all with whom he has come in contact . " He has a rich inheritance , and richer than thafc the record of the good deeds of his noble-hearted predecessor .